Lime Swallowtail

Lime Swallowtail

Papilio demoleus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Lucknow

In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%

8 Verified sightings at Lucknow
171 In all 17 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Lime Swallowtail

Papilio demoleus is a common and widespread swallowtail butterfly. The butterfly is also known as the lemon butterfly and chequered swallowtail. These common names refer to their host plants, which are usually citrus species such as the cultivated lime. Unlike most swallowtail butterflies, it does not have a prominent tail. When the adult stage is taken into consideration, the lime swallowtail is the shortest-lived butterfly, with male adults dying after four days and females after a week. The butterfly is native to Asia and Australia, and can be considered an invasive pest in other parts of the world. The butterfly has spread to Hispaniola (in the Dominican Republic and Haiti) and the rest of the Antilles in the Western Hemisphere, and to Mahé, Seychelles.

The butterfly is tailless and has a wingspan 80–100 mm. Above, the background colour is black. A broad, irregular yellow band is found on the wings above, which is broken in the case of the forewing. Besides this, the butterfly has a large number of irregular spots on the wing. The upper hindwing has a red tornal spot with blue edging around it.

As the caterpillar ages, its hunger for leaf tissue continues to grow... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Komodo National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~40%
2 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
3 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
4 Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~30%
5 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~30%
6 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
7 Nitmiluk National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
8 Cape Range 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
9 Ningaloo Marine Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
10 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~20%
11 Hattah-Kulkyne National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
12 Doi Inthanon National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
13 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~10%
14 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
15 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
16 Kakadu National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
17 Blue Mountains National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Karachi 🇵🇰 Pakistan
~80%
2 Prayagraj 🇮🇳 India
~50%
3 Raipur 🇮🇳 India
~50%
4 Jabalpur 🇮🇳 India
~50%
5 Hanoi 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~40%
6 Durg 🇮🇳 India
~40%
7 Santo Domingo 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
~40%
8 Madurai 🇮🇳 India
~40%
9 Jakarta 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~40%
10 Ho Chi Minh City 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~40%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Lime Swallowtail in Lucknow?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Lime Swallowtail sighting in Lucknow on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the most-seen of the 9 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Lime Swallowtail in Lucknow?

September

In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Lime Swallowtail in Lucknow on a given day, against under 5% in June, the lowest month. That is one of Lucknow's wettest months, with about 170 mm of rain against almost none in November.

What time of day is best to see a Lime Swallowtail?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lime Swallowtail sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Lucknow the best place to see a Lime Swallowtail?

25th of 78

Of the 78 cities where we can rate Lime Swallowtail sightings, Lucknow ranks 25th at about 30%. The best odds are in Karachi (Pakistan, about 80%), Prayagraj (India, about 50%) and Raipur (India, about 50%).

Where does the Lime Swallowtail sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Lime Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Lucknow (8 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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